AI agents by text message: one gets its own email address and starts placing calls, does the customer stay in control?
TechCrunch lists more than 25 AI agents reachable by SMS or messaging that book appointments and send emails on a user's behalf. The market is American and mostly consumer.
According to TechCrunch (October 10, 2026), more than 25 AI agents now offer to live in your text messages: they schedule appointments, manage a calendar, draft emails and complete tasks. The best funded, Instinct, raised $1 billion in September 2026 at a $10 billion valuation. On the work side, Szn says it serves 7,500 businesses in 16 countries, and Martin plugs into SMS, WhatsApp and Slack for $21 a month.
The friction point is control. Per the article, Instinct gives its agents dedicated email addresses and has begun rolling out support for placing calls, so they can act without going through the user's inbox. By contrast, Underdog runs its model entirely on the device, and Ollie reports SOC 2 compliance. For an agency, the question is not whether an agent can message a customer, but who approved what it says.
For AppH
- Reminders for appointments, documents to bring or overdue invoices: the assistant drafts the message within the rules the agency set, and the agency sees what goes out.
- A human stays in control: AppH does not open an email account in the agency's name or place calls; every rule and every text is approved by the agency.
Against / the honest limit
- An assistant that only acts with approval is slower than an autonomous agent: it is a choice, with what it costs in speed.
- The article surveys American consumer tools, not French domiciliation networks; amounts and usage figures are those the vendors announce.
Sending a message in an agency's name is a responsibility. A useful assistant is one whose rules the agency approved before it talks to a customer.
Reviewed by a human at AppH